Storm Story
by progmom
Summary: A storm in Seattle causes a power outage, forcing the Cranes to have a conversation. Niles and Daphne tell their children the story of how they met and fell in love. It should be delightfully sappy.
1. Blackout

Daphne jumped as thunder clapped. "This storm is getting worse."

"You love a good thunderstorm," said Niles.

"Yes, when I'm in bed, curled up with a good book... or with—"

As they kissed, the power went out, and their daughter screamed.

"Jane! It's all right, just be still... there you are." Daphne pulled the four year old into her arms. She held her while her eyes adjusted to the darkness and then made her way back to the sofa.

"Mommy, why did the TV go off?" Jane asked.

"Because the storm made the electricity go out, and the TV is electric."

"I'd better check on David," said Niles, standing up. He activated the torch on his phone and climbed the stairs.

"Are you all right, Darling?" Daphne asked.

"I'm a little bit scared," said Jane. Thunder rumbled, and she cuddled into her mother.

"Oh, Sweetheart, don't worry, the storm will pass. Meanwhile, we're all safe in our house, together. The electricity will come back on eventually."

Torchlight danced on the wall as Niles and David descended the stairs. They set up an antique candelabra on the coffee table and lit it. "There now, isn't that better?" said Niles.

David sat on the floor, and both children stared sleepily at the flames. Niles sat next to his wife and daughter and put his arm round them, pulling Daphne close, and she smiled at him.

"So what now?" asked David.

"We do what our ancestors did before cell phones and video games were invented and have a conversation," said Niles.

"Booooring," sang the seven year old.

"It's not that bad. Your dad and I had conversations all the time before we were married and had you two," said Daphne.

"Mommy, when will I get married?" asked Jane.

Niles opened his mouth, and then closed it again when Daphne shot him a look.

"Well, one day, you'll fall in love with someone wonderful. But make sure they're the right person _before_ your wedding day."

"That's right," said Niles. "And it's important to marry for the right reasons, because divorce is no picnic."

"You married Mom because she's so pretty, right Dad?" asked David.

Daphne and Niles exchanged meaningful smiles. "Well, that was the first thing I noticed. But as I got to know her, I saw her inner beauty as well. She was kind and compassionate, she made me laugh, and without realising it, she brought me closer to my dad and my brother. She made me a better person."

Daphne smiled and patted Niles's thigh. "That's the thing, Children. A good partner makes you want to be a better person. Your dad helped me learn to trust, and not to settle for what seemed comfortable. I did very brave things because I loved him. Things I never would have dared."

"Like going to fat camp?" asked David.

Daphne laughed and held up a hand to stop Niles chiding the boy. "Well, yes, that's one example I suppose. But he loved me and supported me throughout that time, and all the time."

Daphne leant her head against Niles's arm, and he kissed her.

"Mommy, your heart is beating fast," said Jane.

"I've still got it," Niles mumbled.

Daphne gave a husky chuckle and caressed his face.

"So when did you know you loved Mom?" asked David.

"Do you really want to know?" asked Niles.

"He's a romantic, like his daddy," said Daphne.

"That or I can't watch TV," said David.

"Well, I guess it is time for a bedtime story..."

——

_A/N: Since they have a son called David, I thought they might also have a daughter called Jane. It's also confusing me as I write, but hey ho!_


	2. Niles

Niles smiled at Daphne and drew a long breath as he began the story. "After work one evening, I went over to Uncle Frasier's apartment to get something. I was chatting to him and vaguely aware of someone folding laundry. Then Uncle Frasier said, 'Daphne, this is my brother Niles.'

"It was like an angel turned round to shake my hand. I still remember her touch—warm, soft, gentle but firm... well, you kids know."

"Mom gives good hugs, and it's nice when she rubs my back," said David. Jane's response was to snuggle into her mother harder.

Niles thought back to that day, how enchanted he was by Daphne's simple elegance, and how clumsy and awkward he felt at the rush of unexpected emotions.

_"You're Daphne?"_

_"Yes, I am."_

_"When Frasier told me he'd hired an English woman, I pictured someone a little more... not quite so... you're Daphne?"_

_"Nice to meet you."_

"She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. Still is."

"What are you after?" Daphne mumbled.

"Same as always," Niles whispered before kissing her.

"Stop being gross and finish the story," David whined.

Niles and Daphne laughed. "Okay... well, she just completely knocked the wind out of me," said Niles.

"Mommy hit you?" asked Jane. Her parents laughed again.

"No, Darling, Mummy didn't hit anyone. It's a figure of speech," Daphne explained gently.

"She was exquisite and charming...her long legs, her amazing eyes, her voluptuous mouth, her musical laugh, her fragrant hair..." Niles mused.

"Fragrant? You mean like perfume?" asked David.

Niles sighed. "More like a mixture of puppies, springtime and sexxxxxxame seeds."

Daphne shot him a glare mixed with a smirk.

"Sesame seeds?" David's eyes narrowed.

"Toasted sesame seeds smell quite nice," said Daphne.

"Okay, so, you just saw Mom for like a few seconds, and all this stuff happened?" David put out his arms dramatically in disbelief.

"Well... yeah," said Niles.

"Did you kiss her?" Jane asked.

"Well, no, because... I wasn't single, and it would've been wrong."

"You were married to Maris, right Dad?" said David.

"Yes. And I loved her, and would not have betrayed her, in spite of my feelings, and the fact that your mother is right for me in every way."

"Your father is a good man—the best I've ever known. When you grow up and decide to look for a partner, remember that loyalty is very important," said Daphne.

"But, he was loyal to _her_," said David.

"Yes, but if he hadn't been, I wouldn't have respected him or trusted him when we finally got together."

David furrowed his brow, considering all that had been said. "So, Mom, what about you? Did you fall in love the second you saw Dad?"

—

_A/N: I used a quote from an interview with the cast from a year ago, where DHP says, "To me, Jane and Daphne were identical—exquisite and charming with fragrant hair that smelled like puppies, springtime, and sex." (If you google that, you'll find the article.)_


	3. Daphne

"Well, when I met your Dad that day, I found him very handsome. He was so polite and sweet, even though he was a bit silly and awkward," Daphne recalled with a chuckle.

"I couldn't help it," Niles said defensively.

"I know, I know, you were quite taken with me. I can't say that I blame you. You were positively charming, stumbling over your words and staring with your dreamy blue eyes. Too bad about your colitis though."

"What col—ohhhhh. I never actually had colitis."

Daphne looked at her husband in disbelief. "What was that I felt then?"

Niles laughed. "I have no idea."

"Well, anyway, I told myself it didn't matter if I found your dad attractive; not only was he married, he'd never love a frumpy, working class girl from the North of England.

"But you didn't know for sure. Adults are weird," David declared.

"That is an astute observation, Son. We are weird, and we shouldn't be so guarded with our true feelings," Niles said as Daphne rolled her eyes.

"So when did you fall for Dad or whatever?" asked David.

"The first time I felt something for him was when he decided to carry around a sack of flour and pretend it was a baby."

Jane burst into giggles, which made everyone laugh. "Daddy is so silly!"

"I have so many questions," David laughed.

"Well, it all started when Granddad, Uncle Frasier and I were in a taxi, and our driver went into labour, and we delivered her baby."

"Actually, Granddad delivered the baby, Uncle Frasier sat with a finger over his mouth, and your dad passed out," Daphne clarified, laughing.

"Only for a couple seconds," Niles defended. "Anyway, it got me thinking, maybe I wanted to be a dad. And Uncle Frasier reminded me about how university students do a course where they carry around a sack of flour for a week in order to learn how to care for a baby. So I decided to try it, to see whether or not I was ready to become a dad."

"Only he took it way too seriously," said Daphne.

"That sack of flour was a lot more demanding than either of you kids!" said Niles.

The children were in stitches. "So, you fell for Dad... because he pretended a sack of flour was a baby?" said David.

"Well, when you put it like that," Niles laughed.

"It was more pity than love. He was so over the top with this experiment and kept getting it so wrong! He was obsessed with being a world-class father to this object, and he ended up setting it on fire!"

The children were nearly in hysterics.

"Like I said then, a real baby would have cried before it burst into flames," Niles defended, struggling to keep a straight face.

"But I saw how caring and tender he could be, and that with a little help, he would make an excellent father. And I was right. And I started to feel a tenderness toward him, and I was a bit sorry his wife didn't seem to see what I saw after only knowing him a short time. Though it was impossible not to laugh at how hopeless he was at raising a sack of flour!"

Jane squirmed in Daphne's lap and reached for her daddy. As Niles took her into his lap, David stood up, stretched, and sat next to his mom, leaning his head against her shoulder. Daphne smiled, relishing the contact, a thing that was becoming rare with her growing son.

"They're getting sleepy," said Niles.

"So did you kiss after Dad set his fake baby on fire?" asked David.


	4. Kiss

After the laughter subsided, Niles looked dreamily at his wife as she spoke. "No, I didn't kiss him then. I suppose our first kiss wasn't until years later, the night before I was meant to marry Donny."

"No it wasn't," said Niles.

Daphne blushed as she met his gaze. "Wasn't it?"

"No, Darling. It was at the Snow Ball."

"Snow Ball!" said Jane.

Daphne stared blankly, replaying the night in her mind. "Oh... oh yes! We kissed after the Tango!"

"Ahhh, the Tango!" said Niles, sighing as he remembered the night.

"Wait... you guys did the _Tango_? That's so lame," said David.

"I'll have you know there is nothing _lame_ about the Tango," said Niles. "You should've seen your mother. She was magnificent."

"Aww, go on," Daphne chuckled.

"All right, lets see it then," said David.

"Let's see the Snow Ball," said Jane.

Niles stood up with Jane in his arms. He shifted her bum to his right arm, so that he could take her right hand in his left. He thrust their hands forward and pressed his cheek against hers. He hummed a tune as he danced his squealing daughter round the living room, fast, then slow, back and forth, spinning round and round. "And, dip," he said, lifting her arm as she arched her back.

"It's _so_ ro_man_tic," Jane said dramatically.

Suddenly, Niles pulled her upright and kissed her cheek. She shrugged her shoulders and grinned.

"You two should join in," said Niles.

"Nah. I wanna see you two dance the lame-o Tango," said David.

"All right," said Daphne, as she stood up and strode toward Niles, staring at him seductively. She tapped Jane on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Miss, but may I cut in?"

Jane giggled as Niles set her down, and she ran toward her brother and plopped down next to him.

Niles and Daphne's eyes locked as they assumed a close dance position. Niles's shoulders were strong and sturdy under his tee-shirt, and Daphne's poised frame seemed larger than life in her modest nightie and bare feet.

"Wait, what about dance music?" asked David.

"We have music in our hearts," said Daphne, not breaking her gaze.

"And rhythm in our bodies," Niles added. He hummed the intro to a well-known Tango piece. He stepped out and led Daphne into a low dip. They moved passionately through the living room, avoiding furniture. Daphne pushed Niles away, and he lunged forward and pulled her tightly to himself, and then dipped her before spinning her out and back into himself. She lifted her leg, resting her ankle on his shoulder, and draping her arms round his neck as he sang the song's big finish. He spun her out and back in, and she sank down, grazing her hands down his torso to caress his thigh, as he grasped an imaginary lapel. He bent down to lift her upright.

"This is the most glorious night of my life," he said.

"Mine too," Daphne smiled. She kissed him tenderly, and then rested her head on his shoulder as Niles cast a smug look at his children.

"Not so lame-o, huh?" he said.

The kids applauded.

Daphne reluctantly extracted herself from Niles's embrace as the lights came back on. She gave him one last look of longing before turning her attention to the children. "All right, you two, it's way past your bedtime. Come on, up the stairs."

When Daphne returned to the living room later, music was playing on the stereo, and the lights were low, candles still lit. Niles met her at the bottom of the stairs, extending his hand as an invitation to dance. Daphne smiled, feeling her heartbeat quicken, as she took his hand. He led her in a gentle foxtrot. They were both silent, allowing their bodies to do the talking, as they gazed into one another's eyes. When the song finished, they shared a deep, passion-filled kiss that left them both dizzy. They swayed as the next song began, their foreheads touching.

"We've got some great kids," said Niles.

"And some wonderful memories," said Daphne.

"I love dancing with you, Daphne."

"What do you say we... take this... up...stairs?" Daphne whispered, planting kisses on Niles's face and neck.

Niles's heart pounded as his hands slid under Daphne's nightie. "Um... yes... um... the candles," he managed.

Daphne laughed as she pulled away from him. "Meet you in bed," she said, her eyes glistening as she bit her lip before turning away to blow out the candles.

Niles smiled as he ascended the stairs with a song of triumph in his heart.

THE END

_A/N: Thank you all for your feedback! I'm so happy this story has been as much fun to read as it has been to write. Sorry it took so long for me to get back to it—life got busy! Thanks for your patience. _


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